Stephen A Smith has suggested the fallout from Mike Vrabel’s offseason scandal with Dianna Russini might be responsible for the New England Patriots’ shocking start to the season.
After getting to the Super Bowl last year, the Patriots have started 1-2 and were beaten 35-6 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.
In particular, quarterback Drake Maye has had a nightmare start, leading the league in turnovers and struggling to reproduce the incredible performances that saw him touted as an MVP contender last year.
The dramatic downturn in form for the Patriots comes after Vrabel hit the headlines throughout the offseason when pictures surfaced of him with NFL insider Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort.
Further pictures of the pair dating back to early 2020 raised questions over the nature of their relationship, suggesting the pair had an affair, an allegation they have both denied.
Russini left her position with The Athletic, before a lengthy investigation by the New York Times-owned company concluded she was ‘noncompliant’ with its journalistic standards.
Stephen A Smith suggested the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal has had an on field impact
Smith brought up the topic while discussing Drake Maye on ESPN First Take on Thursday
“We all know that Mike Vrabel was in the news in the offseason for some personal matters. And I think it’s fair to say he was a bit distracted.” – Stephen A. Smith on the New England Patriots’ slow start pic.twitter.com/xqzuZnmdPO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 1, 2026
Vrabel has remained tight-lipped since initially addressing the situation, insisting before the season that ‘we’ve moved on’ and focus was all on the Patriots.
The scandal has largely remained unspoken on mainstream TV but Stephen A Smith has now said the quiet part out loud, suggesting on ESPN First Take that the scandal may have had an impact on Vrabel’s preparations for the new season and, subsequently, affected his quarterback’s performances.
‘I don’t need to get into the details but I think the angle is worth bringing up,’ Smith said.
‘We all know that Mike Vrabel was in the news in the offseason for some personal matter. And I think it’s fair to say that he was a bit distracted.
‘And I find myself wondering. Those distractions, and whether or not they potentially compromised his routine and his ability to be on top of things the way he normally would be when it comes to coaching this quarterback, or any quarterback, for that matter.
‘It is a fair question to ask without getting in the details and getting into someone’s personal business. Strictly sticking to the football aspect of this.
‘Drake Maye was a top two candidate for league MVP on his last year. He now ranks dead last in passer rating and he’s leading the league in turnovers over the first three weeks of the season. He looks a complete shell of himself, completely lost, at times despondent, for crying out loud.
‘And as you see Mike Vrabel and the agitation swelling, whether it’s the radio interviews or it’s in front of the press, relatively predictable under those circumstances. There’s no crime or anything like that.
Vrabel became engulfed in scandal alleging he had an affair with reporter Dianna Russini
Russini covered the Tennessee Titans for ESPN when Vrabel was head coach of the team
‘And I’m not in any way being insulting. I swear to you I am not. I’m simply pointing out that with players, when things happen, on a personal level, and then we see some level of reflection of that personal strife emanating in their game, why can’t it be the same when it comes to a coach?
‘Mike Vrabel had some issues. Mike Vrabel had to step away to deal with those issues. Mike Vrabel had stuff he had to be distracted by.
‘And I think that if he was honest, and I’m quite sure he is honest with himself, in terms of reflecting on what the attitude was like this entire offseason, how focused, his attention to detail, the limited distractions, etc.
‘I think if he was completely honest he would know that he hasn’t been himself, and who’s to say that hasn’t had a negative impact on the performance that we’ve seen from Drake Maye.
‘Whether it’s a lack of availability, whether it’s a lack of focus, distractions, mentally, emotionally, focused, where your heart and your mind is, because you had a lot to deal with.
‘I think that it’s fair to at least assume that may have had a part or may have played a part, because Drake Maye is not looking like himself.’
Vrabel was this week forced to address rumors of a rift between him and his quarterback.
‘He heard from who?’ Vrabel asked on The Greg Hill Show. ‘Unnamed sources? Let me just tell you why I’m here. I’m here because Drake was the quarterback.
Russini stepped down from her role at The Athletic while Vrabel has remained Patriots coach
Drake Maye has had a nightmare start to the season but denied rumors of a rift with Vrabel
‘Believe it or not, I had choices as to where I wanted to coach. I wanted to coach here because Drake was the quarterback. So, I don’t have really much other to add to that about a comment from an unnamed source. But I’ll just tell you what I’ve told numerous people if they want to ask me why I’m here.’
Maye has also rubbished the claims, hailing Vrabel and insisting nothing has changed regarding their relationship.
‘Coach Vrabel’s been one of the best football coaches I’ve had in my life,’ Maye said, via a transcript from the team. ‘I think Coach Vrabel’s been one of the biggest things as to why this has been so enjoyable for me is playing for Coach.
‘I think we all feel that way in the locker room. He pushes us hard. I’ve loved playing for him, and it’s not going to change. It hasn’t changed, and it won’t change. The way he pushes me, and he coaches the quarterbacks in a way that I really respect, and I’m looking forward to getting going, proving to Coach that I can lead this football team and play good football.’
